The present invention relates to an apparatus for loading at least one top-loaded crusher with charge material delivered by a plurality of transport vehicles, the charge material being fed to the crusher by a bucket which is loaded by in each case at least one transport vehicle which is in a receiving position adapted to the plane of movement of the transport vehicle and can be raised into a transfer position in which the bucket is tipped in order to discharge it into the crusher, the comminuted material being withdrawn from the crusher by means of a conveyance device.
In quarries and open-pit ore and coal mining, loose material brought by transport vehicles, particularly dump trucks or shovel loaders, is comminuted in crusher installations before it is transported away by a conveyance device, in particular a conveyor belt system. The size or capacity of the crusher is dependent in this connection on the loading capacity and the possible haulage cycles of the transport vehicles.
Loading devices are known in which the transport vehicles discharge the material into an intermediate bunker which is set up at the site and from which the charge material is fed to the crusher by an intermediate conveyor. For higher throughputs the intermediate bunkers must be made correspondingly large, thus resulting in a considerable expense for construction. In order to keep the upper discharge edge of the intermediate bunker as low as possible for loading by the transport vehicles, the intermediate conveyors must be made relatively long so that they can bridge over the difference in height to the charging opening of the crusher which is loaded from the top. This results in a very expensive installation which cannot be moved because of its large weight so that optimal association of the crusher with the specific place of excavation is not possible. As intermediate conveyors flight conveyors are customarily used, which can limit the capacity of the crusher system.
There is also known a stationary crusher which is loaded batchwise by dump carts. Each dump cart discharges the charge material into a bucket which is in a receiving position and can be lifted to a transfer position above the crusher. The charge material is in this case discharged directly into the crusher, which is therefore loaded batchwise, so that it is not working on material between two consecutive loadings. In addition to the lost time resulting from this, this known apparatus has the disadvantage that the crushed material is also obtained batchwise. With the known construction this is unimportant since the removal of the crushed material is also effected by dump carts, i.e. batchwise.